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I took these to work this week and the girls gave them the thumbs up. I wanted to share the recipe with them and thought I’d post it here to share it with you too! I love food. I love texture and variety and knowing it is actually fueling my body at the same time it is satisfying my taste buds.

I am not on a diet and don’t encourage them. I have created and manage a healthy lifestyle. This allows me to enjoy the foods I love, appreciate fruits and vegetables, proteins, and complex carbs and the benefits of all the pieces that complete a balanced diet.

The key is this: eat foods that digest quickly, like sweets, with foods that slow down the digestion process, like low-fat dairy, high-fiber foods, or foods that contain protein. When we slow the absorption we reduce the glucose hit our body takes, we reduce the insulin rush that is the response to a spike in blood sugar, and we give our bodies more time to utilize the calories we have just ingested before storing it as fat.

Balance. Portion Control. Smart choices. One choice at a time and you can create a lifestyle that will allow you to feel good, work hard, play with enthusiasm, and maintain a healthy weight.

Try these pumpkin muffins with your morning coffee and a scrambled egg and you will be all set to feel fabulous as you begin your day!

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can canned pumpkin

1 egg + ¼ cup egg substitute

2 overripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup applesauce, no added sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup Splenda

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups oats

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ginger

¼ tsp. cloves

1 tsp salt

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

Mix together pumpkin, eggs, bananas, applesauce, Splenda, and vanilla and set aside.

In large bowl, combine flour, oats, soda, powder, spices, and salt.

Add the banana mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips

Spoon into muffin tin and bake for 18-20 min.

*The nutrition information was created by entering the recipe into My Fitness Pal.

Known as “Breakfast Brownies” at my house, these are Tom’s favorite muffins. I think your whole family will enjoy these and it is a great way to add vegetables into a picky eaters diet. Several years ago my 15 year old son had a friend over one night and he ate several of these. Then he saw a piece of zucchini and said with disgust, “hey these have vegetables in them!” I had to chuckle…got ya! These can be heated up in a toaster oven and spread with peanut butter…Tom’s daily companion to his protein shake! They can also be frozen. I know grabbing breakfast can be challenging, so make it easy on yourself; take the time to throw these together. You’ll have a quick, power packed, yummy breakfast to grab and go. Enjoy!

Breakfast Brownies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Whole Wheat flour

1/4 cup flax seed meal (can use a whole cup of WW flour if you don’t have flax seed meal)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup applesauce (no added sugar)

1 Tbsp Canola oil

3/4 cup Splenda or other no calorie sweetner

1/2 cup light brown sugar

4 egg whites or equivalent of 2 eggs in egg substitute

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups shredded raw zucchini (2 small, peeled)

3/4 cup semi sweet mini chocolate chips

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

In a large bowl sift and mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.

In a bowl beat the oil, sugars, eggs, powdered milk, and vanilla extract until well blended (about 2 minutes) with electric mixer.

Fold in the zucchini. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, make 18 muffins, and bake about 30 minutes.

Remove from cups after about 10 minutes and cool on wire rack. Yummy if toasted and served with spray butter (0 calories added, lots of taste!)

This is a hit with my boys and their friends too. Get more veggies into your diet with this awesome snack or side dish. This is an easy and yummy dinner on a bed of lettuce as a salad, or as a side dish with chicken tacos! Remember portion size is key to a healthy diet, if you eat this with chips, portion out a single serving of chips and put the bag away so you don’t over indulge. Can you have too much of a good thing? Yes, the answer is yes. Enjoy!

This is a crunchy, fresh, great tasting side dish that I had kind of forgotten about. Sweet but with a kick…try it. Make it as a side dish with grilled chicken or fish, or serve it as a main dish! Temps are still getting up warm and this summer salad shouldn’t be passed up! Enjoy!

Ok, here is a fun and easy dinner idea your kids will like too! The beauty of this recipe is that it can be adapted for family very easily. Just making dinner for two? Absolutely easy-peasy. Someone doesn’t like onions? Fine, their pizza doesn’t get onions. Someone just wants cheese? No worries, they can just have cheese. Don’t eat meat? Ok, no chicken for you. Add all the vegetables you want! You put them on a cookie sheet and cook them all at the same time, and dinner is served. If you are in a hurry and need to eat this quick, just cut in half and fold it over to make a “pizzawich”! Healthy food, filling and quick, hot and delish. Pair this pizza with a big, fresh, tossed salad…win/win!

BBQ Chicken Tortilla Pizza

Ingredients: (makes one pizza)

100% whole wheat tortilla (I used Mission brand, medium size)

¼ cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 Tbsp. BBQ sauce

2 Tbsp. onion, diced

2 oz. baked chicken breast, shredded

1 tsp. EVOO

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Spread EVOO on one side of tortilla and place it, oil side down, on a cookie sheet

Hi everyone! Yes, Super bowl is in the past for 2014, but who doesn’t remember the yummy snacks that were munched on as the party was enjoyed? This year I had a blast preparing snacks and finger foods for my family and found a couple new recipes that are winners! So I thought I’d share them with you. The great thing about both of these recipes is that they can be customized for your particular taste very easily. Especially the Taquitos, add veggies, salsa, make them fun, this is just the basic foundation! So, read through them, try them, and modify them…enjoy some healthy and yummy foods!

Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, baked and shredded

1 cup Cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice), shredded

16 corn tortillas

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Spray 9×12 baking dish with cooking spray

Spread about 2 TBSP. chicken over 1/3 or tortilla and sprinkle with cheese

Roll tortilla tightly starting from filled side to form taquito and place seam side down in baking dish

Repeat with remaining tortillas

Bake for approximately 35 minutes

Baked Zucchini Chips

Ingredients:

2 zucchini, washed and sliced into thin slices

½ cup bread crumbs

Red pepper flakes (to taste)

½ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. Garlic powder

½ tsp. basil

4 TBSP. grated Parmesan cheese

2 egg whites

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray

In a shallow mixing bowl combine bread crumbs, seasonings, and cheese

Place egg whites in separate shallow bowl

Dip each zucchini slice in egg white and then coat with bread crumb mixture

Place in single layer on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray

Bake for approximately 8 minutes, then turn slices over, spray with cooking spray, and bake for another 8-10 minutes until crisp